


Out of the Woods

by HelloStarTea



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 20:53:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13865811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelloStarTea/pseuds/HelloStarTea
Summary: A quick story explaining how a team with no hope gets out of a literal Forest of Death, and passes an exam through the sheer power of nepotism.





	Out of the Woods

**Author's Note:**

  * For [slash4femme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slash4femme/gifts).



This was it.

Shikamaru knew (and had hoped) the Chunin exams would be over fast for a team like his, but even he thought they'd make it a little longer than this. However, they were now in the sight of the previous year's number one rookie. The genin who had traumatized the teachers of the Academy so badly, they still talked about it. The kid that was the sole reason no one from the previous class had entered the exams this year, and why several other rookie teams had pulled their entrance papers. They were in the sights of Neji Hyuuga.

He turned to his teammates. "So now wh-"

Ino elbowed him in the ribs and shushed him so hard, he thought her teeth would whistle. "Shut up! Stick with the strategy!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, and put his chin on his knees. It wasn't worth the effort to bring up there was no hiding from a Hyuuga.

"Stop hiding and come out."

Shikamaru's heart still jumped when they were called out. He saw Ino and Chouji visibly startle. He turned to Ino again. "Okay. So _now_ what?"

"How did he see us?! We hid so fast!"

Shikamaru sighed. "What a drag. Now we're going to have to face him, and he's going to kick our asses."

"Don't worry about it! The hide and hang out strategy didn't work, but that's why we've got strategy number two!" Ino clenched her fists and pumped them. "Trust the strategy, guys."

Chouji leaned over. "What? Are you serious, Ino?"

"You gotta problem with that? Just trust me. This plan can't fail."

"Ino, I don't-"

"Not now, Chouji. Just remember your lines. Let's go!"

"Well, what do we have to lose..." Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he stood up. He rushed out after Ino and put the biggest, most fake smile he could muster - which was not very big at all.

"Oh wow!" Ino's voice had to have raised two octaves as she cooed and fawned, throwing her hands up and clasping them at her shoulder. "How cool is this? Who'd have thought we'd run into last year's number one rookie, Neji Hyuuga, all the way out here?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes on the inside. "Yeah, wow. Can I have your autograph?"

The boy looked at them like they were garbage. "Oh. It's you."

Ino reached back and took the ribbon out of her hair, letting the waves of golden blonde fall across her shoulders. She tossed her head and batted her eyelashes. "It's just... I've always wanted to meet you. I'm such a big fan-"

"Don't make me sick."

Ino's face twisted like he'd spit on her.

Neji turned his back on her. "Get out of my sight."

Ino bristled and Shikamaru could hear her teeth grinding. Her fists balled up and she took a step towards his back.

"Oh? Are you raising your fists to me?"

Ino froze dead in her tracks.

Neji turned back to them and a cold chill ran down Shikamaru's spine. "Do you wish to fight me?"

Ino's hands snapped behind her back. "What? No! No, of course not! I would never!"

Neji's eyes narrowed.

Shikamaru's heart began to race and he cursed Ino's brash nature. His mind began racing through alternatives, through strategies and escape routes. How would he be able to counter an opponent like this-?

"Hey, Neji!"

Shikamaru and Ino's heads snapped around.

Chouji waved awkwardly. He clambered out of the bushes, stood up and half-jogged up to Neji's side. Neji regarded him with not so much coldness, rather than curiosity. "Hello, Chouji."

Shikamaru saw Ino's jaw hit the ground, and his was probably somewhere very close.

Chouji gestured to them absently. "Sorry about... my friends."

"I am unimpressed."

"Be nice. So... which scroll do you have?"

Neji reached into his bag and retrieved a scroll with a brown paper wrapper, with the character for 'Earth' clearly written.

Shikamaru's stomach dropped. That was the one they needed... if Chouji was trying something, he had better-

"Oh." Chouji reached into his pocket and- to Shikamaru's absolute horror- withdrew a blue scroll with 'Heaven' written on the front.

There was a moment of silence.

"I guess you're going to want this."

Neji looked up at Chouji. "I would not take it from you."

"Really? It'd be really easy."

Shikamaru was pretty sure he was hallucinating, because he thought he saw Neji smile. It was gone in a second, though.

"If you would like, Chouji, my team and I have set up camp by the river. You are welcome to set yours up downstream, where I may watch for you."

Chouji laughed and rubbed his neck. He put the scroll back in his pocket. "That's real good of you, Neji. Maybe I'll take you up on it."

"Are you concerned that you are so outclassed by the competition?"

Chouji gave a half-roll of his eyes. "You don't have to say it like that... but yeah. It's going to be a rough next few days, that's for sure."

"You will not survive that long."

"Come on, Neji, you know that's mean..."

"I am stating the facts." There was a long pause, before Neji held out his hand with the scroll perched on it. "Take this. If you make no stops, you will be able to make it to the tower by nightfall."

Chouji held up his hands and shook his head. "No way. That's not fair. I can't just take your scroll-"

 _"I can!"_ Ino ran up to grab it, but Neji snatched it from her grasp. His burning glare sent her scurrying back.

Neji turned back to Chouji. "My team has already retrieved a second and third Earth scroll. If I were concerned for myself, I would not offer."

"Yeah, but... we're your competition."

"You are no competition."

"Wow, Neji." Nevertheless, Chouji's hand came out and hovered over the scroll. He looked back up at Neji. "Are you sure?"

Neji did not answer.

Chouji took the scroll with a grateful sigh. "Thanks, Neji. I owe you one. A big one."

"It is what it is." Neji turned around, but looked over his shoulder. "Be safe, Chouji. I will see you in the third test."

With that, Neji Hyuuga vanished into the forest.

Ino rushed back up to Chouji and snatched the scroll out of his hand. She held it up with a little dance. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! We did it! We got it!"

"Yeah, out of pity." Shikamaru rolled his eyes and scratched his back, walking up to them. He turned to Chouji. "How the _hell_ do you know Neji Hyuuga?"

"Huh? Oh, my mom is his dietitian. He's at my house all the time." Chouji pulled a bag of chips out of his other pocket and ripped them open. "Me and Dad argue about who gets to sit next to him when he's over for dinner."

"How did your mo-" Shikamaru threw up his hands. "Y'know what? I don't care. We got the scroll, let's just get the hell out of here. The sooner we're out of danger, the better."

**Author's Note:**

> This was just fast and fun, because I like the idea of Chouji and Neji being friends (or more than friends, who knows). I can never remember how Team 10 ended up getting out of the second round of the Chunin Exam, either, and I was too lazy to go back and check.


End file.
